Sustaining Mental Health Care Funding

Whereas, Mental illnesses usually strike individuals in the prime of their lives, often during adolescence and young adulthood. All ages are susceptible, but the young and old are especially vulnerable; and

Whereas, When mentally ill persons enter the criminal justice system, they stay behind bars four times longer at twice the cost of other inmates, often for minor crimes such as trespassing, sleeping in doorways, and petty theft, and they rarely receive adequate mental health services while incarcerated; and

Whereas, Without treatment, the consequences of mental illness for the individual and society are staggering: unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, suicide and wasted lives; The economic cost of untreated mental illness is more than $100 billion each year in the United States; and

Whereas, With appropriate effective medication and a wide range of services tailored to their needs, most people who live with serious mental illnesses can significantly reduce the impact of their illness and find a satisfying measure of achievement and independence; and

Whereas, Early identification and treatment of mental illness is of vital importance. By ensuring access to the treatment and recovery supports that are proven effective, recovery is accelerated and further harm related to the course of illness is minimized; and

Whereas, In El Paso, the volume of crisis calls handled by El Paso Mental Health and Mental Retardation (EPMHMR) have increased from 12,545 in 2003 to 40,540 in 2005; and

Whereas, Patients utilizing mental health services at EPMHMR increased from 1,577 in 2003 to 4,533 in 2005; and

Whereas, Funding for mental health has remained at the same level since 2003 while the number of those served has dramatically increased and Texas currently ranks 47th in the nation in mental health services funding; and

Whereas, A recent study by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) shows that adequate funding of community-based mental health treatment plays an important role in reducing hospital emergency room costs, and Texas has the largest number of uninsured citizens among the 50 states.  Consequently, the number of uninsured, combined with the rising costs, places a financial burden on both public and private health care systems; and

Whereas, Executive Order RP45 states that the State of Texas is committed to providing the most cost effective mental health, chemical dependency, and mental retardation services to vulnerable Texans and their families who are eligible for these services; and

Whereas, The State of Texas has underscored that it is imperative that consumers and their families have a choice from among the broadest range of services available so that these consumers have the opportunity to enjoy full lives of independence, productivity, and self-determination; and

Whereas, The State of Texas calls for the system of mental health services for individuals with disabilities to be comprehensive, community based, and provide for the broadest range of supports to most effectively meet their needs; and

Whereas, Mental health services in El Paso and other communities within Texas are provided by a wide variety of organizations not through a single source; and

Whereas, Services often are not coordinated, resulting in inequities in services available for citizens; and

Whereas, The high cost of psychotropic pharmaceuticals is a significant cost in treating uninsured behavioral health patients; and

Whereas, The isolation of behavioral health treatment results in obstacles of expense and stigma in seeking appropriate care; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Texas Medical Association advocate state mental health funding adequate for addressing the spectrum of such illnesses impacting the state; proper governance of these funds is necessary to ensure that funds serve as many people with mental illnesses as possible and that efficiencies are identified within the system to save dollars when possible; and be it further

RESOLVED, That TMA advocate prioritized state funding that will address the full spectrum of mental health addressing funding shortages, and increasing funding for crisis services; and be it further

RESOLVED, That TMA work at state and federal levels to facilitate mental health authority and other behavioral safety net providers in obtaining access to lower pharmaceutical prices through the existing 340 (b) drug program under the federal Office of Pharmacy Affairs; and be it further

RESOLVED, That TMA work for legislation to assure that primary care providers are reimbursed for behavioral health care appropriately provided in a primary care setting.

TMA House of Delegates: TexMed 2007